This is the first semi-annual Excel release and includes features originally made available in monthly updates 1706 and 1707. From this point onward, a new semi-annual version of Excel will be released in January and July each year. This version is fully supported in the current edition of our books/e-books.

The next semi-annual release will be on July 10th 2018 and will include all updates previously published to the monthly update channel in versions: 1709, 1710, 1711, 1712, 1801 and 1802. It has been speculated (and seems logical) that this version will also be identical to a new perpetual licenced version of Office named Office 2019.

Data tab: Ribbon buttons on the Data tab have been rearranged into two new groups: Get & Transform Data and Queries & Connections.

Share queries: Export any query definition into an Office Database Connection (ODC) file, and then share it across workbooks or with others.

Load data: Load data from a query directly into PivotTables or PivotCharts without having to save the data into the Data Model.

Shared file activity: Choose the Activity button in the upper right corner of the file to see when a file shared in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint was shared, edited, renamed, or restored.

Safe links: When a user clicks on a link, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) inspects the link to see if it’s malicious. If the link is deemed malicious, the user is redirected to a warning page instead of the original target URL.

Changes in shared files: View who has made changes in shared workbooks, and restore earlier versions.

Lasso Select with a pen button: Use supported digital pen buttons to Lasso Select ink without visiting the ribbon.

Autosave when using OneDrive: If you save an Excel file to a OneDrive it will automatically save your changes every few seconds as you work. there is no longer any need to explicitly save your work (when a file resides upon a OneDrive).